Trace-holder.



" No. 881,655. PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903.

v H. A. BIERLEY.

TRAGEFFHOLDBR. APPLIGATIOITYILED JULY 25,1907.

INVENTOR.

H AB 1 Y may IZIW ..WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY.

ms NORRIS P512125 60., wnsnmnrdgv, n c.

PATENT FFICE.

HENRY A. BIERLEY, OF PORTSMOUTH, OHIO.

TRACE-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 10, 1908.

Applicationfiled July 25, 1907. Serial No. 385,438.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, HENRY A. BIERLEY, of

Portsmouth, county of Scioto, and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Trace-Holder; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters refer to like parts.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved trace fastener for swingle-trees and the like adapted to securely hold a trace in the difierent positions in which traces are usually attached to swingle-trees.

One feature of the invention consists in the simplicity of construction and manipulation of the device and its lightness and cheapness.

The full nature of the'invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the device on one end of a swingle-tree with the trace in place. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the trace fastener without any trace in place and the catch in its lowered position. Fig. 3 is the same with the catch turned upward. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device with the trace in place only under the catch. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same with the end of the trace looped.

There is shown herein a swingle-tree 10 and a trace 11 of ordinary form. The trace holder consists of two portions, an inner portion through which the whole trace projects when the trace-is wrapped about the sWingle-tree and a catch portion which is fulcrumed on the stationary portion and is adapted to hold the slotted end of the trace from slipping ofi of the end of the swingletree.

The stationary portion of the fastener consists of the plate 13 which is secured by screws 14 to the swingle-tree, it being transversely concave so as to fit snugly on the sWingle-tree, and its ends being perforated for the screws. At its outer end it is pro vided integrally with two upwardly bent cars 15 between the upper ends of which a rectangular catch 16 is pivoted. Then the upper part of the plate 17 of the stationary portion is slipped into place upon the portion 13, the ends of said part 17 being turned down and flattened and resting upon the ends of the plate 13. The outer end of the plate 17 is held by the turned end of the plate 13, and the inner end of the plate 17 is held down by one of the screws 14. spring 18 is riveted under and to the central portion of the plate 17. The pivoted end of said catch 16 is made angular so that said spring 18 will hold said catch in its closed position, that is with its outer end down adjacent the swingle-tree, it being limited in its downward movement by the stop lugs 20.

With this construction the trace may be first inserted through the stationary portion of the trace fastener and wrapped around the swingle-tree and the end of the trace slipped over the end of the swingle-tree and under the catch, as shown in Fig. 1. That makes a strong and secure union between the trace and swingle-tree, and yet it is easy to put the trace in such position or remove it. Or if desired, the trace may be placed in the position shown in Fig. 4 with the slotted end slipped over the end of the swingle-tree and under the catch so as to be held from escape by the catch, or if desired the trace may be looped under the catch, as shown in Fig. 5.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A trace holder for swingle-trees consisting of a plate secured to the swingle-tree with a pair of upwardly extending ears, a catch pivoted between said ears and adapted to engage the trace and prevent its escape from the end of the swingle-tree, and a second plate adapted to be secured to said first-mentioned plate for forming the stationary part of the trace holder with one end thereof fitting between said ears, and a spring projecting from said stationary portion of the trace-holder to a point between said ears and under and engaging with the pivoted end of said catch so as to hold the latter in its open and closed positions.

2. A trace-holder for sWingle-trees consisting of aplate secured to the swingle-tree with a pair of upwardly extending ears, a catch pivoted between said ears and adapted to engage the trace and prevent its escape from the end of the sWingle-tree, a second plate adapted to be secured to said-first mentioned plate for forming trace holder with one end thereof fitting between said ears, and a flat spring secured under and to said last mentioned plate and the stationary part of the projecting through the opening therein to a point between said ears and into engagement with the pivoted end of said catch so as to hold said catch in its open and closed positions.

3. A trace holder for swingle-trees consisting of aplate secured to the swingle-tree with a pair of upwardly extending ears, a catch pivoted between said ears and adapted to engage the trace and prevent its escape off of the end of the swingle-tree, a second plate adapted to be secured to said first mentioned plate for forming the stationary part of the trace holder with one end thereof fitting between said ears, and a spring projecting from HENRY A. BIERLEY.

Vitnesses N. ALLEMONG, W. M. GENTLE. 

